Clinical-thermometer case.



No. 659,642. Patented Oct. l6, l900 A. F. BLAGDON-BICHARDS. CLINICAL THERMOMETER CASE.

Application filed Jan. 24, 1899.\

(N 0 M o d 01 me seems PETERS co mmouma, WASHINGTON, 04 c rrnn ATENT Oriucn.

CLlNlCAL-THERMOMETER CASE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 659,642, dated October 16, 1900. Application filed January 24, 1899. Serial N0- 703,305. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern/.- I

Be it known that I, ALBERT FRANCIS BLAG- DON-RICHARDS, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, and a resident of Swansea, in the county of Glamorgan, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements.

in Thermometers, (for which I have applied for a patent in Great Britain, No. 14,437, dated June 30, 1898,) of which the following is a full, clear, and exactspecification.

This case is designed to afford a ready means for disinfecting a thermometer after it has been used in taking the temperature of contagious or infectious patients and especially after it has been used for such purpose in the mouths of such patients.

The case used primarily for inclosing and protecting the thermometer is made of a shape and size suitable for this purpose. It consists of two different layers, the outer made of metal, vulcanite wood, or any other suitable non-porous material sufficiently hard and unyielding'to afford protection for the fragile instrument inclosed within and an inner layer composed of any suitable absorbent materialsuch as wool, spongie piline, felt, textile fabrics of all kindsor any other material sufficiently coherent and capable of absorbing moisture or being impregnated with any of the antiseptics in use. The two layers may be so made as to be adherent to each other, the outer to the inner, and thus they would be non-detachable, or they may be made distinct from each other, the inner layer being then made to fit inside the outer layer and to slip inside it. If it were made so, there would be in a manner a double casean outer protection-case and an inner absorbent-case, the inner case being made sufficiently stiff and rigid to retain its shape.

The two layers may, if necessary, be made of the same material, provided that the outer layer be so treated as to render it quite rigid and protective, non-porous, and non-absorbent and that the inner layer be porous and absorbent. When the two layers are made separate and detachable, the inner layer, being of such a nature as to be more perishable than the outer layer, can be made and supplied separately for the purpose of renewal. The inner layers of absorbent material impregnated or to be impregnated with anti- .mometer c.

septics can also .be made and supplied separately, so that they can be slipped inside and used with the cases at presentin use. When in use, the inner layer it impregnated at the time of making with an antiseptic or antisepticssuch, for instance as boracic acid, salicylic acid, perchlorid of mercury, or any other of the numerous substances used for this purp0se-will simply require moistening with water or any other fluid in which such antiseptic is soluble. The thermometer then on being slipped into the case becomes disinfected. The moistening of the inner layer is not absolutely essential for disinfection. If, however, the inner layer when made simply consists of absorbent material, it may when required for use be rendered strongly antiseptic. by freely moistening it with any antiseptic of suitable strength, such as carbolicacid solution, perchlorid-of-mercury solution, or any of the other antiseptic solutions in use. It could be moistened thus as often as deemed necessary.

The essential feature of the invention consists in the inner layer or case of absorbent porous material, which may be moistened and rendered strongly antiseptic, thus insuring the disinfection of the thermometer when it is put back in it after use.

For purposes of illustration I will now refor to the annexed drawing, in which the figure is a longitudinal section showing my invention.

The outer casing to may be made of any suitable material, such as metal or the like.

I) is an inner casing, which may be formed in one or more layers of any suitable material for the purpose of carrying an antiseptic. I find it convenient in carrying out my invention to employ, say, for instance, a plug of felt, which is bored so as to receive the ther- This inner casing or lining may be impregnated with any required antiseptic, so that when the thermometer is passed into the inner casing any contagious matter lying upon it will be rendered innoxious by coming into contact with the antiseptic or disinfecting substance carried in the inner casing. Although for purposes of illustration I have shown one inner casing or lining, it will be readily seen that there may be two or more, so arranged that the surface engaging or coming into contact with'the thermometer may be renewed by withdrawing the casing or lining which is in contact with the thermometer, and so present a fresh surface for antiseptic purposes. Any convenient form of antiseptic may be employed, either in a dry or moist form. The cap or cover (1 is provided with a plug or lining of material carrying the required an tiseptic,which na be also arranged so as to be renewed when required or present a fresh surface for contact with the thermometer. By this arrangement it will be seen that the thermometer is what may be called disinfected and at the same time is protected from injury.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

ALBERT FRANCIS BLAGDON-RIGHARDS.

Witnesses: JOHN W. WILLIAMS,

ESTHER E. WILLIAMS. 

